osakaorchid

im contemplating visiting fort lauderdale sometime between october of this year or possibly by june of next year. i have never been there before and am looking to solicit the advice of other on what to see and do there.

i have a free roundtrip ticket, and must use it by june 2010. i am open to travel dates and am wanting to avoid times of the year when larger than usual crowds are present, and also when it is humid. am looking to visit when the weather is relatively milder.

i wont be renting a car and am wanting to know how good the local transportation system is, if there are light rails, etc.

i am mainly interested in staying at a hotel on the beach and am also open to any and lodging suggestions.

would also like suggestions on what to see and do, where to shop and eat.

one thing i have noticed is that neither fodors nor frommers seem to publish a travel guide that is specific to fort lauderdale itself. i was under the initial impression that fort lauderdale was a reknown tourist destination, but am starting to think differently because the lack of travel guides that provide key specific info, hence my use of this forum to obtain the additional info.

the only guides i see available focus on "south florida", "miami and the keys".

i bought one guide that mentions fort lauderdale, and gives basic info on it, but not as elaborate or in depth as id like, like a normal travel guide would thats specifically dedicated to a given destination.

any ideas, suggestions?

montereybob

FL is just one of many fun destinations in South Florida, hence travel guides would rightfully cover all of them. Also, it is not a large enough area with a great enough number of tourist attractions to fill a whole travel guide.
Two hotels on the beach that I have enjoyed are the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort (modern) and the Lago Mar (old style). From the Lago Mar you would need a taxi or rental car to get anywhere else. From the Marriott you can walk to the water taxi to get around.
The best nearby entertainment/restaurant/shopping districts are Las Olas and Beach Place. Fl is a good destination if what you want to do most of the time is be at the beach or poolside. If you want lots of mega-attractions, Orlando would be better.

kellysmom

Do not depend on rail or bus transportation in FLL. It is very humid from May-mid Oct. This is the tropics so some humidity is always in the air. February is the busiest month for tourism. March=Spring Break. January is usually beautiful although you might hit a "cold" snap. If you hope to hit FLL at a low season try after Thanksgiving befor the Dec. holidays or early Jan. when the kids go back to school.
The Bonnet House is interesting, the is a Museum of Science with and Imax theatre and Broward Center of the Performing Arts may have a play to catch. There are several local theatres if you are into plays.

osakaorchid

kellysmom, whats wrong with bus and rail transportation in fort lauderdale? i grabbed a fodors book on south florida yesterday and was reading up on the rail, and it didnt give any indication of the rail being bad. it said the rail one way is $5.50.

but if fort lauderdale recieves a large number of tourists annually, youd think they rectify or improve whatever problems youre indicating there may be with the local bus and rail service.

a question i had also is does bus or rail connect from fort lauderdale to the sawgrass mills ten miles westward?

montereybob

The rail is only "bad" in the sense that it doesn't go to many places that a tourist would want to go. I think it's mainly for commuters.

osakaorchid

if the rail is only bad, how about the bus system? is it good?

for comparison, when i went to san francisco, the buses were usually crowded, sometimes i had to stand up and hold on..but it always got me where i wanted to go,.and it ran often and was usually on time. so for me, it sufficed.

is fort lauderdale's bus system of similiar nature in that regard?

montereybob

No, FL bus system is not like SF system. FL is not an urban area. It's more like a suburban area, so it doesn't have the extensive public transportation systems that urban areas do (including buses). The only practical way for tourists to get around FL is car or taxi.